SOME METEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT MEASUREMENTS IN

Radioactive fallout measurements, generally performed to determine average snow accumulation rates, can also be used to determine other meteorological information. The following results were obtained from measurements on the Antarctic ice sheet: (1) A strasospheric residence time of 1.5 years for radioisotopes such as /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs. (2) A value of approximatively 1 of the ratio phi between the concentration measured in the air (g/m/sup 3/ STP) and the concentration determined in the snow (g/g), with extreme values of 0.5 and 5. (3) The dry fallout represents between 15 and 25% of the total deposition in the coastal regions and as much as 40 to 60% in the central zones. (4) A precipitation increase of 30% occurred after 1965 when compared with the decade 1955-1965.

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